Keeping Young Professionals (and Their Kids) in Cities

8/2/2019 Keeping Young Professionals (and Their Kids) in Cities

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CityTalent: Keeping Young Professionals(and their kids)in Cities


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Kids in Cities : Concept Paper | 2

For the rst time in 50 years, central cities across America are attracting

talented young people. But what happens when they begin to have children?

Unortunately, as many as hal o them leave or the suburbs once theirchildren reach school age. Why should urban leaders be concerned?

It contributes to middle class ight

It erodes the base o the population that supports

mainstream institutions - banks, libraries,

museums - places that serve everyone

It reduces the diversity and vibrancy o the city

It pulls entrepreneurship rom urban centers

It undermines city parent advocacy

Kids in Cities will help urban leaders understand, support and scale the

behaviors o pioneering urban amilies. Researchers rom the II Institute

o Design studied parent concerns o saety, space and schools developing

concepts to counter them through density, public space and using the city as

a classroom.

In September 2007 CEOs or Cities will develop and test these strategies by

launching a Learning Network o our cities.

Tis research was generously sponsored by Forest City Enterprises.


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Over the past 50 years in America, a strong belie has

emerged that the only appropriate place to raise children

is the suburbs. Children, conventional wisdom goes, requirebackyards, cul de sacs, nearby woods, the opportunity to

bike to school and the saety generally thought to be oered

by the suburbs. In addition, the poor perception o urban

schools has pushed parents into suburbs seeking better

education options and security or their children.

But suburbs are increasingly less likely to oer the benets

they once promised. Te woods are disappearing to

development, children are driven to school in the amily

minivan and news reports o children snatched rom the

streets spread ear. At the same time, cities are becoming

more vibrant and livable. Yet young parents continue to avorthe suburbs when it comes to raising a amily.

Most urban leaders believe that cities devoid o children will

be much less desirable places to live with much less secure

utures (to say nothing o the tax loss rom p eople in their

peak earning years choosing to live elsewhere). Tey want to

nd ways to encourage amilies with children to choose their

cities as places to live.

Tis project will address key dimensions o the problem

cities ace when trying to attract or retaining amilies. Te

problem will be examined rom both the perspectives o

amilies and city governments. aking views rom both sides

will create mutually benecial solutions leading to healthier,

more vibrant cities and communities.

Project Defnition

Our objective is to provide urban leaders with insights into

the reasons why amilies abandon cities or the suburbs.

Tese insights will lead to actionable strategies aimed at

retaining existing citizens as well as attracting new ones.

Introduction

Key Questions:

Where are the greatest leverage points or urban leaders to encourage this trend o amilies with children

remaining in and coming back to the city?

What actions can cities take that will have the greatest

impact on making them a superior choice or amilies

with children?

Are there market segments more likely to choose city

living and thereore be higher priority targets?

And are there key marketing messages urban leaders

should employ to appeal to high priority targets?

Fig 1.1 - Design Planning Process

Understanding the ecosystem1.

Research and analysis o the business,

users, and technological context o the

problem.

Reraming the problem2.

Restructuring the problem to get to

the root cause, and not just address

the symptoms.

Developing proprietary insights3.

Using ethnographic research

techniques to generate unique, usableinsights about stakeholders.

Generating valuable concepts4.

Creating concepts with both economic

and user value.

Design Plan5.

Te creation o high impact strategies

or new products, services, and

business models.


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Understanding theProblem

Developing aStrategy

Next Steps

ConceptsAround Saety,Space, andSchools

Contents

An analysis o the current

situation, the values o

attracting children to

cities, and regions most

likely to aect change.

A new perspective on the

target market produces

an understanding o the

problems they ace and

suggests strategies or city

improvement.

Te paper contains the ollowing ve sections designed to

take the reader rom an understanding o the problem, the

target market and the problems they ace, through to thedevelopment o strategies and ultimately concepts. Te nal

sections details how city leaders can use the inormation

presented in this paper to develop a plan or their own city.

A set o strategies and

concepts designed to

support city amilies in

their day-to-day lives.

A plan to help city

leaders apply these

strategies to their own

planning eorts.


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As cities become increasingly attractiveto young proessionals, they continue tolose young amilies

U.S. cities are experiencing an exodus o proessionals with

children to the surrounding suburbs. As a result, otherwise

healthy cities are becoming childless zones. Recognizing

this as a important problem that cities must ace, CEOs

or Cities, a non-prot organization working to ensure

the vitality and prosperity o Americas cities, challenged

the Research and Demonstration team at the II Institute

o Design to diagnose the situation and arrive at a set o

recommendations or urban leaders to us to alleviate or

reverse this negative trend. Te Kids in Cities project is the

response to that challenge.

Tis projects aim is to bring children to Americans major

metropolitan cities. Within are a set o concepts to help city

leaders retain young, upper-income proessions once they

have children, and to attract new amilies rom the suburbs.

Loss o amilies continues

American cities, rom Seattle to Nashville, have experienced

a substantial inux o young proessionals relocating rom

the suburbs over that past two decades. What is driving

them, in part, is the substantial social and economic

improvements that cities have made.

Te other, perhaps more substantial reason, has been the

shi in liestyle preerence that has taken place among many

proessionals. A growing number o todays proessionals

crave urban experiences and want to live in places that have

things like diversity, authenticity and vibrancyall things

that the suburbs ail to oer. Tey are settling in places

where they have access to a rich history with a variety o

original restaurants.

Introduction

Te return o proessionals has been a tremendously positive

or cities because these people are the sort who p ower growthand innovation. Tey are creative; they work long, hard

hours; and they are will to take entrepreneurial risks that

help a citys economy expand. In the ast-paced industries

such as technology and design, they are also the ones who

have the most up-to-date skills and training. Cities, thus,

have a real incentive to attract and retain this group.

However, it is with retention that cities struggle. As

proessionals grow older and have children, they oen

abandon their beloved cities or the perceived or real benets

o the surrounding suburbs, such as better schools and more

space. Te exodus o parents rom cities is well illustrated bylooking at San Francisco. Tis city has been a virtual Mecca

or young proessionals looking or an exciting place to work

and play or decades. oday, however, the demand to live

in San Francisco has brought the median house price up to

around $700,000, and it has the lowest percentage o people

under 18 years old o any major city in the nation, 14.5%,

compared with 25.7% nationwide.

Besides the economic impact o losing highly educated

amilies in the prime o their careers, an array o compelling

arguments can be made or retaining these amilies. One is

that children provide additional diversity and vibrancy to

cities, which in turn makes them more attractive places or

all people. Another is that educated parents play a vital role

in helping the city develop strong, tight-knit communities.


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Parent Segmentation Map


Framing the Problem

UrbanPioneers

Suburban

Loyalists

Discontent

Suburbanites

entativeUrbanites

urban

suburban

high

satisaction

low

satisaction

How to attract and retain amilies with economic

options

For the Kids in Cities study, extensive secondary and

primary research was conducted on the topic o kids

in cities. Te research involved identiying statistics,

trends, and pre-cursors relating to parenting and

amily lie. wenty one-on-one ethnographic

interviews with a cross-section o parents rom ve

states and 10 one-on-one interviews with experts

related to the topic were conducted.

Parent SegmentationBased on research conducted, amilies with

economic options can be segmented into our

groups. Urban Pioneers are die-hard city lovers.

Suburban Loyalists are parents whose needs are

met by the suburbs. entative Urbanites are parents

in the city who very much enjoy the city, but they

may have recently had children and are now being

tempted by suburbs perceived space, schools, and

saety. Discontent Suburbanites are parents who

believed the suburbs would provide the American

Dream but are nding that they are disappointed

with their quality o lie.


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Workarounds and Pain points

Developing ideas or improving the city andmaking it more acceptable or the Swing Vote

Ad hoc solutions the Pioneer creates to mitigate problems and shortcomings

o cities are reerred to by designers as workarounds. Trough careul

observation o these, designers can ormalize solutions so they appeal to the

masses. Pain points are simply areas o pain that cannot be avoided with

the current conguration or design. Te table on the right displays a raction

o the workarounds and pain points uncovered during research. Within are

some opportunities or improving cities. It can be seen here that most o a

pioneers pain points and workarounds can be grouped around the headings

o saety, space and schools.

Saety

Saety is a concern or parents regardless o whether they live in the city or

the suburbs. City parents have learned to rely on the density o neighbors to

help them police their children. Many also invest more time teaching their

children rules or interacting with people and traveling in the city.

Space

Pain points and workarounds in this category mainly revolved around the

price per square oot or housing. What bothered Pioneers most is the

tight space or childrens bedrooms and the impracticality o sharing rooms.

Pioneers have ound a way around this by spending more time outside and by

devising clever storage and playroom congurations.

Schools

It was ound to be a serious problem or Pioneers to educate their children

in the city. For one, the cost o private school requires a signicant portion

o their income. And i their children are going to attend public school,

problems arise around the enrollment process and in using inormation such

as web sites.

Pain point Workaround Opportunity

SPACE

Families in the city have a lack o

open private space

Families use multi-purpose general

areas

Look or solutions that provide

a middle ground between living

rooms and parks.

Most city apartments dont have

the room or children to play

inside all day.

City parents take their children out

o the house to engage in activities.

Children are active and parents are

involved in the city

City apartments are less able

to accommodate large group

meetings and parties.

Utilize public spaces such as parks,

schools and bars/restaurants.

Cities could work to help provide

parents with access to public space

or meetings and get togethers.

Limited spaces in homes cause

clutter and claustrophobia

Parents use kitchen or ofce as a

place or children to play

House could be built with an

innovative layout to accommodate

kids in a small space.

Parking can be difcult or

expensive

Use public transportation/park

extra car in o site area/Zip car

ransportation that is more amily

riendly

SAFEY

Te city has a higher crime rate

than the suburbs.

Rely on neighborhood network to

help watch children

Cities should help create

and strengthen ties within

neighborhoods

Parks are not sae enough or

children to go to alone

Hire nanny or establish

relationship with other parents to

trade o watching children

Create system to provide

supervision or children at park.

SCHOOLS

Parents must actively search andseek out educational options or

children

Parents spend more time searchingthe internet and talking with SMEs.

Necessary inormation could becollected and a system devised to

present its most user-centric way.

It is difcult or parents to nd and

comprehend inormation about

school options.

Parents rely on word-o-mouth.

Contact riends in positions o

power. Create ad hoc data bases

Inormation about schools

could be made easier to nd and

understand.


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Pioneer Values

Pioneers choose the city or the diverseand vibrant experiences it oers them

and their children

ypically, Pioneers have a very dierent set o values than

the Swing Vote, and thereore, it is o little importance

to understand the values o Pioneer or insights into the

Swing Vote. However, a brie overview o Pioneer values is

included here to bridge the gap between Pioneers and the

Swing Vote because both were ound to have similar values,

with the important dierence being how they prioritized

those values. For Pioneers, diversity, density and vibrance

were emphasized. For members o the Swing Vote, space,

saety, and schools trumped all other values.

Diversity

Pioneers place tremendous value on exposing their children

to diverse situations and cultures. Pioneer parents repeatedly

mentioned that these experiences were more important than

a large home because they help make their children more

well-rounded than they would be i they lived in the suburbs.

Additionally, city parents value the many cultural venues a

city provides such as museums, theatres, and libraries, and

oen leverage these as ways to requently take learning out o

the classroom and make it more enjoyable.

Density

Parents also elt that their children beneted rom the

inherent adjacencies that a citys density provides. Te

rerain theres so much to do was heard oen, reerring to

the variety o options or kid-riendly activities and events

ound within a city, many within walking distance.

Adjacencies made it easier or Pioneers to connect their

children with riends and to develop community. Te large

amount o public parks and buildings make it easier to nd

mutually convenient locations to meet with other parents

and also act as social gathering places.

Vibrancy

In addition to exposing their children to varied cultures,

many parents elt that living in the city provided their

children with a heightened sense o awareness that added

to their saety and better acclimated them to the world at an

earlier age than their suburban counterparts.

Pioneers on...

Diversity

When we nally moved to the suburbs, my childrens teachers

came up to me and told me how much more well-rounded my

children were than the other children. I believe its because we

lived in the city or so many years. - Rachel

Going on the subway is like a ree class in cultural education.

I I wanted everybody to be the same, I wouldve stayed in

Ireland. - Anne

Convenience

My son is never sitting around the house, theres just so muchto do. I were not going to one o the museums to see the latest

exhibit, then its the aquarium or planetarium or something

else. At the least, well bring him to a riends house and just go

to the nearest park. It keeps me busy, but its time spent with

him so I enjoy it. - JC

Saety

Te rst time they see a homeless guy on the train or bus, it

might rattle them a bit. But they quickly learn that it is part

o lie and the appropriate way to deal with it. I guess I could

try to shelter them rom that by moving to the suburbs, but

sooner or later theyre going to have to be exposed to it. Ithink the sooner they learn about it and the more aware they

are, the better. - JC

Everybody in our neighborhood knows [my kids]. Te store

owners, people on the street. I have no problem sending them

out on their own because I know there is always somebody

watching them. - Nancy


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Understanding the Swing Vote

For the Swing Vote, the suburbs still oer the saety,space, and schooling that they desire...

Te Swing Vote might be the proessional couple that moved to the city

immediately aer law school and have now decided to have children. Upon

discussing raising their children in the city, they tell themselves that it is

inevitable that they must move to the suburbs once their rst child in born.

Moreover, the Swing Vote may also be the young couple who met at a

marketing rm uptown, got married, and had children three years ago. Now

their child has become school age, and they are contemplating a move to the

suburbs. In some cases, the Swing Vote may also be the suburban couple

who really loves the city and would like to raise their children there, but are

not ready to make that leap o aith that a move to the city would require.

Te Swing Vote represent the target market.

Comparing Swing Vote with Pioneers

Te major dierence between the Swing Vote and Pioneers is a strong

sense o practicality. For this reason, they are also oen reerred to as

pragmatists. While Pioneers are visionaries who believe the possible

benets o raising their children in the city are worth the gamble, the Swing

Vote are more comortable with the sure bet. Teir more conservative

values lead them to be more concerned with hard benets such as crime

rates and test scores over so benets such as diversity, density, and

vibrancy. It should be mentioned, however, that the Swing Vote is not an

entirely conservative bunch. Remember, most o them lived in the city beorethe child issue arose in the lives.

...value measurable improvement

My husband and I moved to Evanston or the schools.

We considered the city, but ultimately settled on Evanston

because it has excellent schools.

Ahn, Chicago suburb, 1 child

...value long-term investments

We moved rom the city...we wanted more space...the kids

toys clutters the kitchen. We knew we could get a house with

more space in the suburbs.

Rachel, Philadelphia suburb, 3 children

...tend to communicate with others like themselves

When my child approached school age, I moved to the

suburbs...My riends and amily played a large part in h elping

me make my decision.

Margaret, Chicago suburb, 2 children

Te Swing Vote...


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Problems o Perception

...while the city is still defcient in thesesame areas.

While the assertion that the suburbs oer better schools,

more space and a saer environment than cities is taken as

act by most suburbanites, research shows that this is not

always the case.

Sprawl and declining average population per household

have reduced the eeling o community the suburbs

once provided, as well as contributed to the rise o cul-

de-sac kids and an increase in the amount o time

suburbanites spend in their cars. Te best city schools are

oen perorming as good or better than their suburban

counterparts, and urban housing continues to appreciate at a

greater rate than the constantly expanding suburban stock.

Additionally, the Pioneers continue to raise their children in

the city with success and resolve. So why does the deault

choice or the Swing Vote continues to be the suburbs?

Content vs. Communication

Problems oen all into one o two categories: content

problems in which the solution does not exist and needs to

be created, or communication problems where the solution

does exist but is not being communicated properly.

In the case o the child-riendly city, there is a large gap

between a citys tness or raising children and the degree to

which the Swing Vote accept them as a viable solution. Tis

points to a problem o communication primarily the poor

perception o cities most American parents continue to hold.

Te problem is not completely one o communication as

weve already shown there continues to be much room or

improvement in the city but there are considerable gains

to be made as well by changing the majoritys perception o

the city.

Technical vs. Hearts and Minds

Many city leaders have recognized their citys shaky

reputation and have taken steps to change the minds o their

potential citizens. However, their approach o concentrating

on improving and publicizing test scores and lowering crime

statistics do not resonate strongly with a public that has been

deeply aected by the American Dream o suburban living.

Teir technical approach, with its concentration on numbers

and optimization, serves only to impress other mayors and

civic leaders, and does little to change the perceptions o

those outside the city. In order to change the hearts andminds o those tied to the suburbs, cities must understand

their opinions and preerences and work to help them

understand the benets o the city at an emotional level.

A Communication Challenge

Changing perceptions is never easy, and it is made even

more difcult when the perceptions are long-standing and

entrenched in the national consciousness. Additionally, the

Swing vote do not generally respond well to advertising and

marketing attempts.


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Parents, more than any other group, are social beings who

want to settle down in a place that is comortable and

secure. Tey want to know rst and oremost that they

are going to be physically sae. But beyond this, they also

desire an environment that appears to be sae. For this, they

need to receive signals that the town or neighborhood in

which they are living in is ree rom danger that may harm

their children. Sometimes these signals must be explicitly

communicated. Sometime they must take more subtle,

implicit orms.

Indeed, saety is a well-trodden area o city concern. Te

media help create the perception that the suburbs are much

saer than the city. Tey oen point out the dangers o the

city and warn they must do more to control violent crime.Regardless o whether these reports are accurate, the results

o our research revealed that most parents and their extended

amily still perceive that cities as dangerous places to raise

children. Although they criticize the suburbs on many other

points, most parents still believe that the suburbs are much

saer.

Tis section provides an array o ideas to assist city leaders

in improving both the actual and perceived saety o the

city. Some ideas help older children to navigate the city

saely without their parents. Other ideas consist o services

or technology that the city can provide to track and monitorchildren as they move about the city. Still others provide a

visible reminder to parents that the city is addressing their

concerns and providing or the saety o their children.

Quotes rom research:

we were rightened at rst o public transport, didnt want

that or her kids. - Jocelyn

she didnt grow up in city, so she worries about crime,

random shootings, doesnt happen in our neighborhood, but

you never know. Big city is more about crime.

Insight:

Communicating the saety o places in the city relative to one

another presents a realistic opportunity or cities to change

perceptions and communicate progress.

Issues addressed in this section:Lack o knowledge o what parts o the city are sae

Sae navigation o the city

Creation o sae communities

ServicesMessaging

Saety


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Concepts

Figure 1: Pre-Paid Pass

Public transportation services can be leveraged to establish anetwork o sae options or children to travel rom place to place or

get home in an emergency. A simple card system could allow kids to

carry a prepaid, universal access pass that would allow them to ride

buses, trains, and taxis.

Figure 2: Emergency Call Boxes

Figure 2.1: Kid 911

As cities increasingly opt or public cameras as a way to deter crime,

they could also add call boxes designed or children.

Figure 3: Designated Sae Car on rain or Buses

Child only areas could be designated on trains and buses near the

driver and monitored by cameras. Tis system would give parents

peace o mind, and g ive kids a eeling o saety.

User Benefts

Proactive measures or parents to take active role

Easy way or kids to get h elp or get home

1

2.1

32

ServicesMessaging

Saety


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Concepts

Figure 1: Car Free Zones

Converting city streets to pedestrian only zones during o-peak

trafc times oers the opportunity to transorm areas normally

devoted to vehicle trafc into amily centric spaces. Perhaps during

evenings and weekends, restaurants and caes could expand thei r

sidewalk seating areas to include stroller space, or even play areas.

Figure 2: Public Spaces as Common Space

Figure 2.1: Happy Hour or Families

Figure 2.2: Family Rest Stops

o help amilies as they travel about the city, cities may want to

consider boosting the quantity and quality o their public spaces. By

expanding traditional public building services such as bathrooms

and stroller lockers into places that allow amilies to relax, cities havean opportunity to transorm themselves into places where amilies

can take part in recreational activities and not be bothered by the

irritating inconveniences that are so abundant when the needs o

children are not addressed.

User Benefts

Opens up under utilized resources o the city

Personies the city as a place that supports the amily initiative

Creates an incentive or amilies to come rom the suburbs

Supports tighter network o amilies within neighborhoods

Puts in context the things that attract people: dense vertical

housing, ashionable restaurants and shops, and mass transit that

makes having a car unnecessary

1

2

2.2

2.1

Ease

Navigation

Shared

Space

Private

Space

Space


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Ease

Navigation

Shared

Space

Private

Space

SpaceKids Source is a publication o inormation, local shop discounts, games,and puzzles that are specically or children. It could provide amilies

with inormation relating to activities and events being held in the city.

Tey could also provide discounts at local shops, caes, and museums inthe city, or they could contain inormation relating to learning about the

history o a city or clues relating to K-Games, a concept described later in

this section.

Lastly, kids in the city and the interesting activities they are involved with

could be highlighted within a section o Kid Source.

An analogy in existence today...

imeout Magazine now has imeout New York Kids, a publication and

website specically ocused on amily-riendly activities.

Concept Description

Figure 18 -TimeOut Kids

Free amily

pass to Chicago

More Coupons Inside!

At the Museum oScience and Industry

Kids Events

Dont miss Chicago Kids CompanysSnow White and the Seven Dwars

KidSource Chicago


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Ease

Navigation

Shared

Space

Private

Space

Space

PlayHere!

SkateHere!

Chewgum

!

RideHere!

HaveFun!

Grafti is a campaign with an appealing visual language ocused on

branding the city as kid-riendly. Children are oen told what they

are not allowed to do, whether its by their parents or a stranger. Tis

campaign is designed to break this convention by specically tellingchildren that they should play in areas specically provided or them. It

also can provide visual cues o sae areas or spaces where children will eel

a higher sense o security such as the walk to and rom school.

Examples include signs that show kid-riendly p aths rom home to school.

Tey might also indicate places or children to play such as:

Play Here!

Chew gum here!

Skate here!

Other orms o media will help amilies see the

city as kid-riendly. Tis could include: signs,

posters, and billboards in airports, subways, bus

stops, and neighborhood parks highlighting kid-

riendly events and activities.

Concept Description


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Concepts

Figure 1: Saety, Space & Education Icons

A system o icons that provides clear navigational cues, even rom a

childs perspective, would he lp parents and children as they explore

the city and its abundant activities.

Figure 2: Map & rip Planner

Icons might be coupled with an interactive activity planning

unction that could be presented on the Internet or at a kiosk.

An essential eature o this system would be a child-centric map

designed to help kids plan trips and navigate unamiliar parts o the

city.

User Benefts

Simplies the trip planning process

Makes city benets visible

Creates a common, easy to read navigation language

2

1

Ease

Navigation

Shared

Space

Private

Space

Space


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As members o a meritocracy, proessional parents place

an extremely high value on all maniestations o education.

Tey continuously seek educational experiences or their

children, whether its in the classroom, at the aquarium,or along the street. Teir philosophy, whether expressed

consciously or unconsciously, is that even leisure time and

playtime should have an educational component. And

naturally, or them, schools are viewed as the primary orm

o education, and as such it is one o their primary concerns.

Tis section builds o these insights. It explores a variety

o creative ways in which cities can inuse education into

activities that children are involved in whether it is by un

activities like going to the park or more mundane activities

like strolling by a construction site. Strategies are providedor enhancing the learning o children by exposing them to

diversity and establishing a connection between them and

the history, culture, and society particular to where they live.

School Inormation

Te act that schools are a central part o a childs lie cannot

be ignored. Children wake up early in the morning and

spend their entire day in schools, where they are exposed to

a variety o impressions and inuences. Tese are the places

where a childs mind and sense o sel are developed through

learning and interaction with others. Although the concepts

in this section do not directly address many o the mostpressing problems related to inner city schools, they do speak

to some o the problems parents experience with the school

enrollment process.

o make this process easier, this section encourages cities

to provide better tools and processes by demonstrating a set

o ways this can be done. It is envisioned here that a set o

improved tools would allow parents to access inormation

about all their school options, both public and private, in

one place. For instance, they might access a web site and

enter their particular inormation and their preerences and

receive their options. An even better process might involve

augmented services such as a guidance councilor to provideparents with advice and options or educating their children

in the city.

City-wide Ino

In some explorations, the actual real estate o the city is used

as a channel or delivering an assortment o educational

messages. In others, the empty space around kid-riendly

attractions such as playgrounds and buses, are transormed

into a medium or improving learning, and thereby capturing

an otherwise lost opportunity. Still others oer suggestions

to upli unpleasant areas like construction sites by turningthem into educational opportunities. Te goal in each case

is to create an educational environment or children by

leveraging the citys assets.

Also visited in this section are ways in which cities can

acilitate education through exposure. Many parents

interviewed expressed their love o the city as a way to

expose their children to things and people that have

educational value. Tey believe that by experiencing the

diversity o the city, their children will be better prepared or

lies challenges and will be in a better position to succeed in

an increasingly competitive world.

Quotes rom research:subway is a cultural lesson in itsel.

I wanted them (my kids) to grow up (in the city), and this

is the way I think o cities. Teyre a combination o a lot o

people rom diverse backgrounds, socio economic groups,

in addition to diversity o races, and nationalities and

religions

Insights:

Cities can augment eorts to improve school systems

by leveraging city assets toward making t he city itsel an

educational experience.

Issues addressed in this section:

Difculty in nding inormation about and choosing

schools

Perception that cities are bad or kids education

City-wide

Learning

School

Inormation

Leveraging

City Assets

Schools


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City ScoutsConnecting Students with Community Outreach

Log out

Volunteers Sports and Exercise Clubs

Student Conservation AssociationConservation Leadership Corps

As a member o a Conservation Leadership Corps

you will:

Volunteeronweekendsthroughoutthe

school year in the city where you live.

Buildtrails,restoreriverandlakefront

environments, and conserve habitats.

... more

Junior Earth eam

An environmental apprenticeship program in

neighborhood parks or teens. eens provide

environmentally-based activities to children at vecity parks in ethically diverse neighborhoods

... more

Gardening Opportunity

Help improve the outdoor environment o our

residential areas by planting and maintaining

gardens. Gardening Opportunity has many

opportunities or creative minds. Buttery gardens

are a particular avorite among our residents.

... more

City Scout o the Month

Audrey Smith is not a tenth grader who lets

things slip by. She attends Freeman High

School in downtown Chicago and noticed

that cars were speeding by her school.

Many o the children walk home and these

cars can pose a potential saety danger. She

started volunteering in the student board

then gathered a group o parents, students,

and aculty who supported her view to the

school board. Tey then approved her plan

to post school crossing signs and assign

saety crossing patrols.

Search environment Schedule DistanceSort by Cost

City Scouts is a public-private initiative that brings together city

government, local businesses, universities, non-prot organizations,

and amilies. Its a network o organizations that provide children with

opportunities to help out in their community, participate in local orneighborhood level government, and work with and learn rom local

business proessionals. It is broader in scope that the Signature Strength

Network in that it is not ocused exclusively on the signature strengths o

the city.

Cities are learning that it is vitally important to involve young people

in the development and betterment o their communities. Allowing

young people to co-create the world in which they live in results in a

compelling reason or young people to stay, because they eel vested

in their communities. Students participating in City Scouts could be

awarded scholarships or grants to local schools and universities or their

accomplishments.

Illustration

City Scouts is also a web platorm that links amilies with organizations

that are part o the City Scouts Network. Families can search or learning

opportunities based on a particular interest or by the type o experience

whether it is a mentor, an internship, non-prot work, or neighborhood

government involvement.


VolunteerMatch is a network o non-prots that people can search and

volunteer or based on their interest.

Concept Description

Figure 14 - VolunteerMatch logo

www.volunteermatch.org

City-wide

Learning

School

Inormation

Leveraging

City Assets

Schools


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City-wide

Learning

School

Inormation

Leveraging

City Assets

SchoolsSignature Strengths are key characteristics o cities that dierentiate onecity rom any other. Te Signature Strength Volunteer Program is a

volunteer network o experts that help city children learn more about

these unique strengths.

By bringing experts and children together, children can learn in a much

more engaging manner. Also this may open a childs world beyond what

they typically learn in school and give them a sense o many possibilities

within their own city.

Illustration

Te city o Chicago is renowned or its architecture. For children

interested in architecture or simply interested in learning more about it

beyond what schools oer, the Signature Strength Volunteer Program is an

opportunity to gain rst hand experience with experts in the eld.

Te Signature Strength Volunteer Program proposes that Chicago

architects periodically visit schools or hold classes at their rms to teach

dierent topics related to the architecture such as 3-D modeling and

sketching. ours o the city could be given by architects to give children

rst-hand knowledge rom experts in the eld.

Concept Description


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City-wide

Learning

School

Inormation

Leveraging

City Assets

Schools

Small garden plot

Oldcompost

Newcompost

Shredder Grass clippings

Lunchletovers Soil

Wildlieattractingshrubs

Bird hedge

Solitarywasp nestsites

Lawn

Pond

Native prairie wildfowermeadow

Te Signature Strength Network is an initiative that ully enables

students to develop their skills and provide deep learning experiences

in areas that cities dene as their signature strengths. Te network is

composed o local businesses, non-prot organizations, and educationalinstitutions unied around the signature strengths o a city. It is a more

holistic approach to providing deep learning experiences or children. Te

Signature Strength Volunteer Program, mentioned previously, could be

one component o this more systemic network.

Illustration

Because Chicago has a signature strength in architecture, children in

Chicago could work side by side with architects and developers to create

rooop or community gardens. Children can learn about sustainability

rom local architects by working on the projects themselves.

Concept Description


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1Student needs are entered into Guru.

2A pool o students are narrowed down by student needs.

3Parents and students can contact potential tutors to nd the best match.

Schedule

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

X X X X X X

X X X

X X

X X X X X X

Subject Geometry

Location 1723 N Halsted, Chicago, IL 60614

Student Learning Style ake QuizAn abstract learner, she learns by intuition andimagination while organizing inormation by chunks in arandom method versus sequential.

x

Timothy Schug5th Year UndergraduateI have to say that ate brought meto IIT. As a child, I always wanted tohave a career... more

Alexis Kramer, Ph.D. CandidateAlexis Kramer is one o the 14 Ph.D.candidates rom the Institute oPsychology to appear in the 2006Whos Who ... more

Shravani Pasupneti4th Year UndergraduateShravani Pasupneti, a ourth-yearbiomedical engineering studentrom suburban... more

Syed Asi Kazimi

4th Year UndergraduateWhen Syed Asi Kazimi came to theU.S. rom Pakistan in 2001, hethought his visit was... more

Christina Barrett3rd Year UndergraduateChristina Barrett, a computerscience major rom suburbanWestmont could not have... more

Guru is a tutoring network in which local university students, particularly

candidates or Masters in Education as part o their coursework, are

connected to the Guru Network, a platorm that matches young students

in need o help with tutors or Gurus. Tese university student Guruscan serve as tutors or help teach classes in schools and other learning

environments.

Tis is especially helpul or parents who try to nd ways to supplement

their childrens education. Its a win-win solution that benets children

and parents as well as helps university students nd compelling ways

to help in the community while applying what they learn in school.

Furthermore, this kind o program provides university students with a

deeper connection to the local community, thereby resulting in young

talent seeking to stay in the city.

Illustration

Students rom local universities sign up to be tutors on the Guru Network

which might have a web platorm or city amilies. Parents can search

or tutors via geographic location, neighborhood, and subject specialty.

utors can provide email contact inormation, biographies, video proles

and schedules o availability, so parents can contact and decide who might

best t their childrens needs and schedules.


Collegia is an organization that connects colleges and communities. Its

ounders have a decade o experience working with regional stakeholders

(government, civic, corporate, and academic), helping them leveragetheir higher-education clusters to improve the economic well-being and

vibrancy o their respective regions.

Concept Description

Figure 13 - Collegia logo

www.collegia.com

City-wide

Learning

School

Inormation

Leveraging

City Assets

Schools


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City-wide

Learning

School

Inormation

Leveraging

City Assets

Schools

Log out

StudySupport

Extracurricular

SchoolChoice

Settings

Schedule DistanceSort byFamily ConnectorFamily Centered Information for the City of Chicago

Experience

ResumeBuilding

Search Creative Writing

Option 1Student Playwriting Group Option 2American Literature Tutor Option 3Online Student Writing Forum

Map & Directions

43

Schedule

Description

The program teams students with proessional

actors in an eight-week playwriting ater school

class, culminating in a live perormance o the

students script by the actors. The eight week

program is a careully structured process where

students meet both individually and in groups.

The 2 hour daily exercises utilized the tools,

expertise and guidance o the Drama Group

coaches, while sparking the creativity andemotional depth o each student. The scripts

are exclusively written by the students, with

the coaches encouraging the creative process

through refection and revision.

Recommended

Family Connector recommends The Drama Club

or your child who is very social and outgoing.

The location is also near her school and home and

meets at a time that she is ree.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

X X X X X X

X X X

X X

X X X X X X


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Concepts

Figure 1: History Markers

Figure 1.1: Natural World Markers

Figure 1.2: Cultural Playground

Figure 1.3: Historical Lens

Tere is an opportunity or cities to use under-utilized space

to create learning experiences or children and their parents in

everyday places. Cities could bring history to lie by illustrating

relevant events and signicant people in the past. Tey could also

display what the city looked like in the distant past. Cities might also

use visual real estate to e ducate children about the natural world.

User Beneft

Provides learning experiences in unexpected places

Augments classroom learning

1.1

1

1.2

1.3

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6. Next Steps

A plan to help city leaders apply these strategies to theirown planning eorts.


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Next Steps

Te aim o this paper is to provide a general description o

the problems city parents ace and a suite o strategies or

reducing their discomort.

Obviously, not all o the problems apply to every city. Each

city must tailor the program as they see t. How a particular

city approaches this problem depends on the specic needs

o its citizens and the tools and resources the city has to

address them. It is up to each city to identiy which o these

problems most directly apply to them and which ones they

are most equipped to solve.

O course, in an ideal situation a city would have the

resources to implement all o the suggested strategies,

but this is seldom the case. Fortunately, it is also seldom

necessary. Cities and the amilies living within them could

1. Diagnose situation

Beore a city can begin any

improvement initiative, it

needs to have a thorough

understanding o its capabilities

and needs.

realize great benets rom the successul implementation o

just one or a ew strategies.

What is most important is that the problems a city addressesand solutions they implement are not randomly chosen. In

order to have a signicant and l asting eect, cities should

choose the specic problem areas where they can have the

greatest eect and provide their citizens the greatest benets.

DiagnoseSituation

DeneInitiatives

Development &Launch

ConceptGeneration

2. Defne initiatives

Te projects strategic initiatives

must be clearly communicated

in order to be successul.

5. Development & Launch

Chosen solutions are optimized

and released according to their

development schedule.

3. Concept Generation

Perormed by internal planners

or a design consultancy,

concepts are generated around

the intended outcome.

ConceptEvaluation

4. Concept Evaluation

Concepts are then evaluated or

their need, solvency and t with

larger intent.

Te Process

Tis paper provides cities with

several recommended initiatives

and underlying concepts to help

with step 2 & 3.

Documents

Keeping Young Professionals (and Their Kids) in Cities